Alastair Cook: Steven Finn’s dead ball incident probably cost England

England's Steven Finn during a nets session. Photo: Rui Vieira/PA

By Harry Kemble, in Mohali Wednesday, January 23, 2013
3:59 PM

Alastair Cook admits umpire Steve Davis’ controversial dead-ball call against Steven Finn probably cost England the game as India romped to a five wicket win to gain an unassailable 3-1 series lead.

Match winner Suresh Raina, who scored 89 not out, nicked to the slips off the Middlesex paceman with India 80 runs from England’s 257-7 but amidst the celebrtions official Davis signalled “dead-ball” much to the dismay of Cook.

Fast bowler Finn’s continuing issue of clipping the stumps in his delivery stride happens so often that umpires have decided to call “dead-ball” each time the Middlesex bowlers digresses.

But Cook, who cannot remember the umpires warning him of their decison, feels the incident may have prevented his side from levelling the series.

“At the moment obviously with the emotions quite high, you know it could have cost us,” said the 28-year-old.

“Apparently, we had been told that by the umpires because Finn knocked them over twice in one of the previous games he was a ‘serial offender’ and that he was going to get called straight away.”

Finn knocked the stumps with his knee twice – as he did in this match – in the series’ opener in Rajkot ensuring the umpires Davis and Sudhir Asnani took decisive action over the issue.

The problem came to prominence last summer at Headingley against South Africa when batsman Graeme Smith was called back to the crease after the umpire called dead-ball with Finn the bowler.

“He’s a lot better than he was,” said Cook, adding: “He bowled 60 balls and he knocked them off once, so he probably bowled 61 balls then with that dead ball.

“But, to be fair to the umpires, they had told us that that is the rules so it’s just the way it is. Obviously at this precise moment in time, it’s a little bit frustrating.”